Pakistan plans to facilitate Afghan visa applicants: Envoy

KABUL (Pajhwok): Pakistan’s Ambassador to Afghanistan Zahid Nasrullah Khan has said his country is working on a plan to provide more facilities to Afghan citizens seeking visa of the neighboring country.

The envoy expressed these views on the occasion of a scholarship test taken from eligible Afghan students in Kabul for higher studies in Pakistan.

The Pakistan embassy in Kabul Saturday announced conducting the written test for fully-funded Allama Iqbal Scholarship Programme.

The exam at the Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul marked the second phase of the 3000 scholarships offered to Afghan students by Pakistan.

Around 800 students would be selected on merit to commence their studies in Pakistan in various disciplines of undergraduate, graduate, master’s, M.Phil and PhD degrees.

The Pakistani envoy rejected corruption charges in the scholarship award process and added 100 scholarships had been set aside for Afghan girls.

He said Pakistan Foreign Minister Mahmood Qureshi during his visit to Kabul announced a wheat package worth 1.7 billion rupees for drought-hit families in Afghanistan.

Nasrullah Khan added a separate place for visa applicants would be built in Kabul and Jalalabad which would help the Afghans get visa easily.

He added Pakistan had offered 742000 free visas to Afghans last year, the highest figure any other country offered.

The envoy added the one month stay visa would be extended to two months according to the future plan.

He said staff at Torkham entry and exit points would be increased in order to facilitate the passengers.